Monday, April 21, 2008

Race 1: The 50th Daytona 500 at Daytona

THE STARTING GRID:

THE WINNER:#12-Ryan Newman wins his first race since New Hampshire in the fall of 2005 in dramatic fashion, running near the leaders in the final stages and receiving “a push from heaven” from teammate #2-Ku. Busch going down the backstretch the final time. The push squeezed him past the fleet Toyota of #20-Tony Stewart, giving both #12-Ryan Newman and team owner Roger Penske their first restrictor-plate win as well as Penske’s first 1-2 finish. #12-Ryan Newman led only eight laps en route to his historic victory.

RESULTS:1) #12-Ryan NewmanTHE WINNER!2) #2-Kurt BuschA terrible SpeedWeeks ended ironically sweet for him when he rallied from early vibration problems to give teammate #12-Newman the “push from heaven” to shove him to the victory on the backstretch on the final lap. Led 9 laps.3) #20-Tony StewartWon the Nationwide race after nearly winning his Duel, saying he’d cut his long hair if he won this race. Though he ran strong and led on the final lap, it didn’t happen, for he moved low on the backstretch to block teammate #18-Ky. Busch just as #12-Newman was being pushed into the lead by his teammate #2-Ku. Busch. Was involved in the seventh and final caution when #5-Mears crossed his nose in turn one. Led 16 laps. 4) #18-Kyle BuschDominated the early-to-mid stages of the race, even at the expense of teammate #11-Hamlin, whom he blocked when the two were running away from the pack. Climbed 22 spots from 24th to 2nd in the opening 22 laps. An attempt to jump #31-Burton for the lead on the final restart was felled when he throttled back to avoid going beneath the yellow line, costing him valuable track position. Led a race-high 86 laps.5) #41-Reed SorensonAfter a 4th-place finish in the Shootout and a runner-up to #88-Earnhardt, Jr. in his Duel, capped off an impressive SpeedWeeks with a 5th place finish. Led 5 laps.6) #19-Elliott SadlerLost a right-front tire in the Duels and smacked the outside wall, then scrubbed it again in the 500 on Sunday without bringing out the caution, but recovered nicely in the final scramble to get a top 10 with his teammate, #9-Kahne.7) #9-Kasey KahneWas bumped into the lead by #20-Stewart soon after the #6-Ragan/#17-Kenseth caution and was able to help his teammate #19-Sadler get into the top 10. Led 1 lap.8) #7-Robby GordonAs controversy over NASCAR’s penalty for an unapproved Dodge nose #7-R. Gordon was given by mistake, turned in a fantastic top-10 run with a late-race rally to make it 6 Dodges in the top 10.9) #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.The race favorite after winning the Shootout and his Duel race could not keep up with the track changes or the leaders as the hot afternoon turned to night, worried about a vibration from what he thought were loose lugnuts, and wound up mired in traffic. Led 12 laps. 10) #16-Greg BiffleLed once off pit road during the debris caution as #24-J. Gordon’s suspension failed. Led 7 laps.11) #43-Bobby LabonteNO NOTES12) #83-Brian VickersRecovered from an early spin in the Duels to race his way into the 500 and snared a solid run.13) #31-Jeff BurtonUnscheduled stop early in the Duels was far less of a problem than when he found himself leading on old tires for the final run to the checkers. Though the field swallowed him back up, he still scored a solid top-15 finish. Led 9 laps.14) #29-Kevin HarvickWorried just 7 laps in that there was something wrong with his engine, then sent #22-Blaney up the track late in the going, which caused the sixth caution of the race.15) #77-Sam Hornish, Jr. (R)Ran in the top 10 for much of the early stages, bounced back from a vibration problem and contact with #48-Johnson when he spun off turn two in the fourth caution, but stayed out of trouble in the final scramble, scoring an impressive finish as the highest-finishing rookie.16) #44-Dale JarrettFinished on the lead lap in his final Daytona 500.17) #11-Denny HamlinWon his Duel race after squeezing by teammate #20-Stewart, giving Toyota its first Cup win. Suffered some damage to his left-rear quarter panel in the fourth caution, then a little more in the sixth after running strong in the early laps right behind defensive teammate #18-Ky. Busch. Led 32 laps.18) #00-David ReutimannRecovered from jumping the start in the Duels to make the race as one of the top three fastest cars, he and #55-Waltrip helping their teammate #44-Jarrett race his way into his final 500 by drafting him up to the front.19) #99-Carl EdwardsNO NOTES20) #1-Martin Truex, Jr.Spun in the smoke thrown up after #48-Johnson spun off turn two, but didn’t hit anything.21) #66-Scott RiggsNO NOTES22) #15-Paul MenardNO NOTES23) #70-Jeremy MayfieldNO NOTES24) #07-Clint BowyerWas spun off the nose of #42-Montoya with 17 laps to go in the race’s fifth caution, but fortunately did not hit anything. Was one of several cars with the right side of the car heavily scratched from wall contact. Led 4 laps.25) #96-J.J. YeleyNO NOTES26) #26-Jamie McMurrayNO NOTES27) #48-Jimmie JohnsonWon the pole for the Daytona 500 for the first time since 2002, but handling problems and an uncharacteristically-slow pit stop when his jack fell later foreshadowed on a spin off the nose of #77-Hornish, Jr. in turn two with 23 laps to go that put him in an even deeper hole, bringing out the fourth caution. Led 1 lap.28) #38-David GillilandNO NOTES29) #55-Michael WaltripOutside polesitter ran golden wheels for the first pit cycle, leading the first lap in his Toyota. Led a total of 3 laps.30) #28-Travis KvapilSustained damage in the sixth caution of the race when #22-Blaney slid up the track.31) #8-Mark MartinLost two laps when a tire cut down right after the restart after a debris caution on lap 80 only to get squished into the wall in the sixth caution caused by #29-Harvick knocking #22-Blaney loose in the turns.32) #42-Juan Pablo MontoyaSpun #07-Bowyer off his nose in the trioval with 17 to go, causing the fifth caution of the race.33) #40-Dario Franchitti (R)NO NOTES34) #45-Kyle PettyNO NOTES35) #5-Casey MearsWhile running third in the final laps, he accidentally crossed the nose of #20-Stewart who was running on his outside, steering him hard into the outside wall and bringing out the seventh and final caution.36) #17-Matt KensethWas slammed into the tri-oval’s outside wall by teammate #6-Ragan when he merged without being clear of his car, bringing out the third caution of the race (the previous two were for debris). Led 1 lap. 37) #01-Regan Smith (R)Bounced off the outside wall similar to #19-Sadler in the late going and did not bring out a caution, either.38) #22-Dave BlaneyBlown engine in the Duels foreshadowed on his involvement in the sixth caution on Sunday when he was bumped out of the groove by #29-Harvick and slid up the track, collecting #8-Martin, #28-Kvapil, and #11-Hamlin. Led 1 lap.39) #24-Jeff GordonRan decent early on, but handling problems turned much worse when his suspension failed on pit road on lap 154. Led 5 laps.40) #34-John AndrettiRaced his way into the 500 on the final lap of his Duel after taking 4 fresh tires, but was not competitive on Sunday.41) #78-Joe NemechekAfter being one of the fastest cars in qualifying, his car was felled by a loose lugnut on the track which punctured his oil cooler, costing him several laps.42) #6-David RaganAnnihilated the right-front of his Ford by crossing the nose of teammate #17-Kenseth entering the tri-oval, bringing out the third caution of the race and the first for an accident (the first two for debris).43) #87-Kenny WallaceAfter racing his way into the Duels to give Furniture Row Racing an unprecedented two cars in the Daytona 500, this car never really got up to speed, ultimately being black-flagged for not meeting the minimum speed requirement.

No comments:

In Partnership With TheRacingExperts.com

Pick up your copy of "J.D.: The Life and Death of a Forgotten NASCAR Legend"

Click this picture for details on how to order the first stand-alone biography of the late J.D. McDuffie.

Upcoming "J.D." Book Signings

To Be Announced

by Brock Beard

40 drivers start a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race. 40 fill the grid in the XFINITY Series. 32 take the green in Trucks. Yet, even when the field is short, only a handful of these stories are ever told.

The mission of LASTCAR.info is to fill in these missing pieces one week at a time, especially regarding the least-covered racers in motorsports - the last-place finishers.

Since 2009, LASTCAR.info has covered the untold "race" for the most last-place finishes in NASCAR history - and, in doing so, continues to chronicle the trials and triumphs of those who race for something more meaningful than victory: survival.

New NASCAR articles and statistical updates are added following each Monster Energy NASCAR Cup, XFINITY, and Camping World Truck Series race weekend, plus driver features, historical retrospectives, editorials, and more.

LASTCAR Merchandise on RedBubble

Let everyone know which end of the field you watch!

LASTCAR: Cup Series Last-Place Finishers By Track - FREE!

A track-by-track breakdown of Cup Series last-place finishers at every track on the circuit, plus seven tracks from the 1972 schedule no longer in use today! Click the picture for a free copy with free updates each season!

LASTCAR: The Cup Series Book - On Sale For $3.99!

Click the image above to pick up your copy of the first official LASTCAR book, featuring a year-by-year history of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series from the perspective of the series' last-place finishers! The book is available for download at Amazon.com for just $3.99! Free updates with every purchase!

LASTCAR: XFINITY and Truck Series Expansion Pack - On Sale For $3.99!

My second LASTCAR book, providing a year-by-year analysis of the LASTCAR Champions of both the XFINITY and Truck Series, is now on sale for download at Amazon, Smashwords, and other online retailers! Click the picture for a free sample and more details! Free updates with every purchase!

Formulast One - On Sale For $2.99!

My first Formula One book, featuring a complete race-by-race list of every Grand Prix last-place finisher! Free updates with every purchase!

LASTCAR's Official Definition of a "Last-Place Finisher" (LPF)

For LASTCAR purposes, including rankings and statistics, a “last-place finisher” (LPF) shall be defined as any single NASCAR driver who, after earning a starting spot in the field for a NASCAR-sanctioned points-paying race against other NASCAR Sprint Cup, XFINITY, or Camping World Truck Series drivers, was at race’s conclusion classified as the last-ranked qualified driver in the field for said race. This classification must be recognized on official NASCAR results, or failing this, by a preponderance of unofficial sources. Only one driver can be classified as the LPF for any single NASCAR-sanctioned race.

So long as the above is met, the LPF can be any one driver classified as such for any reason, including but not limited to (1) a “did not start,” that is, an entrant who qualifies for a starting spot in the race, but for any reason is subsequently unable to start the event, including a post-qualifying driver switch if it is still recognized as the LPF in the results (2) an entrant who encounters an event once the race has started which prevents the driver from finishing ahead of any other qualified entrants, including both DNFs and a driver who finishes under power but laps down, (3) a decision to “start and park” the driver’s entry, (4) a disqualification handed down by NASCAR and/or track officials that subsequently classifies the driver in the final position behind the unofficial LPF.

LASTCAR shall not consider the LPF as anything else, including but not limited to (1) the lowest-ranked driver who finishes the race under power, (2) the fastest driver who does not qualify for the event in question, (3) a driver who was originally the LPF, but sometime after the race was usurped for the spot by a disqualified entrant NASCAR and/or track officials classified as the official LPF, (4) a driver who may be categorized as finishing last for exhibition events (these entrants shall be ranked only in the rankings for that event, and not commingled with LPFs).

In the rare event where official results or a preponderance of unofficial results are later updated with more accurate information about who was the LPF for that event, LASTCAR rankings and statistics shall be updated to reflect that change.

J.D. McDuffie (1938-1991)

Disclaimer

This is an unofficial NASCAR website. All articles, original art, and other entries are (c) Brock Beard. All car photos were captured from SPEED Channel, Jayski, FOX, ESPN, and TheHotLap.com, or their credited source.